San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle hopes to be on the field with his teammates for the Week 1 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia. The All-Pro is working his way back from the Achilles injury he suffered during last season's playoffs.
If Kittle is available for the season opener, he and the rest of the 49ers' offense will face an immediate challenge: slowing down superstar pass rusher Myles Garrett, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year and one of the league's most dominant defenders.
Kittle joined The Rich Eisen Show and discussed Garrett's arrival in the NFC West, which means the 49ers will now have to face him twice each season, beginning in Week 1.
"Myles is a fantastic player," Kittle said. "He's a defensive MVP for a reason, broke the sack record for a reason. He's an amazing football player. It just kind of changes up how you have to play against the Rams."
According to Kittle, opposing offenses may need to approach the Rams much like they did when Aaron Donald anchored Los Angeles' defensive front.
"You make a game plan around him, and make the rest of the team beat you," Kittle said. "Just don't let the best defensive player in the league beat you on every single snap. It's going to be a huge challenge."
Despite Garrett's game-changing presence, Kittle isn't ready to concede the NFC West crown to the Rams.
"Like I said, he's incredible," Kittle commented. "But hey, we've got incredible players too, and I love a great challenge. It's going to be really fun."
Kittle also reflected on the challenges of facing Donald during his NFL career, noting that the 49ers' coaching staff always dedicated significant time and effort to building a plan to neutralize the future Hall of Famer. Usually, that meant keeping four hands on him at all times, avoiding one-on-one opportunities that could quickly derail an offense.
"It kind of put a smile on my face because I was like, they (the coaches) worked so hard this week, and they're giving us a game plan that has a really good chance to work," Kittle said. "And now, it's up to us to go out there and succeed, so it's going to be one of those things."
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